NFC Notes: Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

Cardinals

Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins pointed out that he ran the wrong route on Kyle Murray‘s interception in Week 2.  

“There’s a lot of stuff that I can get better at,” Hopkins said, via Mason Kern of Sports Illustrated. “I think the interception that he threw last week was definitely my fault. I ran the wrong route, so the safety wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me running the wrong route. I definitely hurt my team in that aspect, but I’ve definitely got to get better and play better.”

Murray mentioned that he hopes to get on the “same page” with Hopkins but feels they have a long time to get things correct. 

“I told him to tell y’all that because he did run the wrong route,” Murray said. “But it’s all good. That’s something that we’ve both got to be on the same page about. Obviously frustrating at the time, but looking back on it, it’s an area where this is Week 2, we haven’t had a lot of time together, we’ve just got to be better and we will be better.”

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury appreciated Hopkins’ ability to own his mistakes and also feels the two will continue to improve their chemistry with time. 

“I think first off as a quarterback, or a former quarterback, you definitely appreciate him owning that,” Kingsbury said. “It just shows his security as a player and what he’s about. And honestly, it was more of just a miscommunication then the wrong route, which is going to happen as we build that bond with him and we continue to work through our signals and things of that nature. But I appreciate that and I know our quarterback does as well. It’s just going to get better and better with him. He’s open to learning, he’s open to coaching and he wants to be the best more than anything. And I’m excited to see where it goes with him and Kyler for the rest of season.”

49ers

The injuries the 49ers have suffered at running back could open the door for UDFA RB JaMycal Hasty as a practice squad callup. 49ers LB Fred Warner said Hasty was one of the team’s big standouts this summer with an impressive camp.

“Hasty, he was one of the guys that everybody was talking about during training camp because he’s got that twitch to him. His cuts are very decisive when he’s running the football. He’s not afraid to pass-block, all those things that go unnoticed,” Warner said via NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco.

• In a survey of NFL analytics personnel by ESPN’s Seth Walder, the 49ers were mentioned in the second tier of teams as far as being analytically advanced: “I think the 49ers have sneakily put together one of the top analytics teams in the league.” 
• Former agent and CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry believes 49ers LT Trent Williams will have enough leverage with his no-tag clause to work out a short-term extension with San Francisco in the range of $20 million per year. 
• 49ers DC Robert Saleh was surprised by how in shape new DE Ezekiel Ansah looks: “I was surprised when I first saw him. For him, he hasn’t played in a little while and didn’t have training camp. So the expectation for him is to maximize every rep he gets. Looks good, big, powerful and in really good shape.” (Cam Inman)

Rams

• Per the Athletic’s Mike Sando, an NFL executive pointed out how the Rams used the possibility of the franchise tag to keep WR Cooper Kupp‘s deal manageable: “If you noticed with the Rams, once they signed Jalen Ramsey, they had the tag over those receivers, and it definitely helped them with Kupp.”
• The tag is set to drop from $17 million to $15.3 million in 2021 because of the decrease in the overall cap, which would have represented a bargain for Los Angeles. Kupp’s deal came in at $15.75 million a year.

Seahawks

• In a survey of NFL analytics personnel by ESPN’s Seth Walder, the Seahawks were mentioned in the second tier of teams as far as being analytically advanced: “The Seahawks … their sports performance is I think possibly the best in the league. I know people think they couldn’t be bought in to analytics because of some of their strategies, but their sports performance is phenomenal.”
• Former agent and CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry notes the market for Seahawks RB Chris Carson is well-defined. Seattle can tag Carson for $8.3 million and other players at his position have signed for $12 million a year. 
• Seahawks DE Rasheem Green has not yet been cleared with Seattle hopeful for later in the week. (John Boyle)
• Seahawks HC Pete Carroll says first-round LB Jordyn Brooks will start in Week 3 now that OLB Bruce Irvin is on injured reserve. (Brady Henderson)
• Carroll did not mention whether Brooks would play at Irvin’s spot on the strongside or if they’ll rotate over weakside LB K.J. Wright. (Brady Henderson)
• Carroll added Seahawks OL Kyle Fuller will be activated now that he’s served his two-game suspension. (Henderson)
• Despite a number of injuries to the defensive line, Carroll doesn’t anticipate adding any outside help: “We’ve got guys working and competing.” (Bob Condotta)